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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — A city council member in St. Petersburg plans to present new city flag designs at an upcoming council meeting, aimed at supporting the LGBTQ+ community and Black History Month.
The topic, titled “City flag variations,” is on the agenda for the council meeting scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 9. It was introduced by Council Member Gina Driscoll.
Driscoll explained the significance of municipal flags, saying, “Municipal flags are vital symbols of a city’s identity, bringing residents together and visually expressing a city’s core values. The Harmony and History flags have been crafted to represent St. Petersburg as an inclusive city that honors historical significance in its identity.”
St. Petersburg artist Andrea Pawlisz, who previously designed the Pride street mural in the Grand Central District, created these flags, according to Driscoll.
Two mockups accompanying the resolution illustrate city flag variations. One features St. Pete’s traditional seal placed over a Pride flag, while the other situates the seal over a red, yellow, green, and black flag, commonly linked to Black History Month. Driscoll has referred to them as the “Harmony” and “History” flags, respectively.
Traditionally, St. Petersburg raises the Pride flag and Black history flag during their respective months, yet there has been increasing statewide resistance to flags that critics claim embody a “political viewpoint.”
Driscoll said the resolution was inspired by a similar move in Salt Lake City, where city councilors recently adopted three alternative city flags celebrating Juneteenth, the LGBTQ+ community, and transgender visibility.
Recently, state leadership in Florida ordered all street murals and art to be removed from public roads, which included a number of Pride and Black history-related projects. In St. Petersburg, a large “Black History Matters” mural was removed from the road outside the Woodson African American Museum of Florida.
The order was met with fierce opposition from local activists and elected officials. St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch said at a press conference that it was an attempt by state leaders to “mandate what our values should be.”
“When I saw the emotional reaction to the erasure of our street murals, I knew it was time to put this idea into action,” Driscoll told 8 On Your Side. “These flags represent the harmony and history that help define our identity as a city.”
Welch, at the August press conference, also said that the city would comply with the order to maintain state funding for transportation projects, but that it wouldn’t be the end of it.
“Our response will be strategic, not reactionary,” the mayor said.
Driscoll is expected to ask the council to vote on the resolution at the Thursday meeting, which begins at 3 p.m. If it passes, it would go into effect immediately.
